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Tip

No basil - pesto will do

Can’t get hold of fresh basil? If you’ve
got a tub of pesto in the fridge, stir a
spoonful into the soup just before you serve it.

Tip

Make it a bake

Ricotta & basil bake: Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/
gas 6. Tip the pasta into a baking dish, season the
tomatoes, stir in the basil, then spoon on top.
In a bowl, combine the peas and beans, 250g tub
ricotta and a handful grated Parmesan. Dot the mix
over the pasta, scatter with more Parmesan, then
bake for 20-25 mins until golden.

Method

Heat oil in a pan. Fry the carrots and onion for
5 mins until starting to soften. Add the stock
and tomatoes, then simmer for 10 mins. Add
the peas and beans with 5 mins to go.

Once veg is tender, stir in the pasta. Return to the
boil and simmer for 2 mins until the pasta is
just cooked. Stir in the basil, if using. Season,
then serve in bowls topped with a sprinkling
of Parmesan and slices of garlic bread.

I added in 2 cloves of garlic, half a teaspoon of chilli flakes, splurge of tomato puree, splash of tabasco and some red lentils. It was absolutely delicious, i was dubious to wether my other half would like it but he loved it and so did I! Will definitely be making it again.

A firm family favourite which is different every time I make it as I add whatever is in the fridge and whatever pasta I happen to have. However I always add a few chilli flakes, some smoked paprika and a pinch of sugar and it always tastes great! Btw I always use frozen mixed vegetables which include carrots rather than fresh ones and they cook fine.

made this dish for a hearty mid week meal >> nobody else has commented on this part of the dish but when i cooked it the carrots they were rock hard even when i had cut them into dice size pieces and cooked them about half hour more than advised ? that aside it was a very tasty healthy dish would do again but maybe substitute the carrots for something that cook quicker :)

I made this for 2 so halved all the ingredients. Having read through the comments I added a small leek, a branch of celery, some frozen sweetcorn and some thinly sliced mini peppers (red, orange and yellow). I used dried basil and a hefty dose of chilli flakes (I will use fresh next time I think). I also threw the rind from the parmesan into the pot to add depth, as suggested in an earlier comment (a brilliant tip that I will use again and again).
The result was utterly delicious. My mother is recovering from major surgery and has little appetite, but she finished the whole bowl !!!

Made this for lunch last Saturday and it was delicious despite all of us being meat lovers! Very simple to do. Though, I must say the above recipe sufficiently serves 3 people (1 male and 2 females portion) and not 4.

Just made this for lunch, it seemed to go down well with everyone. I also added 1 glove of chopped garlic with the onion and carrot. I think next time I will also add some chopped celery at the beginning and some chopped flat leaf parsley with the basil at the end.

I tried this today for hungry workers and it went down a storm! I added a small leek, a clove of crushed garlic, some dried oregano, a splodge of tomato puree & a small potato diced finely, to thicken. I used a 500g carton of passata with 900ml chicken stock. Amazingly we had spinach & ricotta tortellini sitting in the fridge. It was superb, and will definitely be a keeper!

Very simple but delicious! I added a smoked sausage and it gave a special taste (bought in a Polish market). Instead of the beans I used lentils, and I didn't use the vegetable stock - only spices: black pepper, oregano, dried parsley... great!

Mmmmmmmm! Just lovely.
Added sweetcorn to the mix, used some leftover pancetta cubes and used beef stock instead of vegetable.
Also added extra seasoning as others suggested, sugar, chilli flakes etc....

Mmmmmmmm! Just lovely.
Added sweetcorn to the mix, used some leftover pancetta cubes and used beef stock instead of vegetable.
Also added extra seasoning as others suggested, sugar, chilli flakes etc....

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